Mrs Taiwo Obasanjo, wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has appealed to Oyo Obas and the Yoruba in general to forgive her husband for publicly embarrassing Iseyin monarchs.
Recall that Obasanjo was seen in a viral video ordering some people believed to be traditional rulers in Oyo State to stand up and greet him.
According to TheCable, Obasanjo who was a special guest of the governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde at the commissioning of a 34.85 km Oyo-Iseyin Road in Oyo State on Friday, September 15, had chastised Yoruba traditional rulers who attended the event for not standing up in reverence to him as a former president and the governor.
“I greet you all monarchs and royal fathers and thank you for coming,” he had said.
“But let me say this, whenever a governor or the president is present, a monarch must stand up to honour the governor or president.
“Stand up.”
Subsequently, the monarchs stood up.
The former president said in Yoruba culture, respect is accorded based on one’s age and position and that a governor’s position is higher than that of any monarch.
He consequently ordered them to stand up to recognise his presence.
The development stirred up angry reactions across the board with many including the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and Yoruba Council Worldwide calling on Obasanjo to apologise to tender unreserved apology to the monarchs.
Pleading on his behalf, Taiwo in a statement entitled ‘Oyo Kings: A plea for forgiveness’ said Obasanjo should not have treated the kings with open contempt and humiliation in order to correct them and reveal their secret that they bow for him privately.
“It is not good at all. It is too humiliating,” she said.
The statement reads: “This is my own personal stand on the manner Chief Olusegun Obasanjo addressed the Kings at Iseyin at the road commissioning by Governor Makinde of Oyo State on Friday 15th September 2023.
“As a legitimate member of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s family, l would like to state publicly worldwide and privately that the manner in which Daddy Obasanjo addressed the monarchs is not acceptable to God, to the Yoruba race and the throne of Kingship and it must not be repeated again by any leader in Yoruba land.
“Daddy Obasanjo should not have treated the kings with open contempt and humiliation in order to correct them and reveal their secret that they bow for him privately. It is not good at all. It is too humiliating.
“Protocols could have corrected them privately and respectfully, humbly with love and friendliness. The only person that is infallible is God,” adding that, God Himself is known as the King of kings and mortals too speak up to God when there is a misunderstanding of His intent.
She added: “I want to publicly state here that on behalf of the family, the children, the wives, the grandchildren and all members of the family of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, l am offering a big and genuine apology both spiritual and physical to all the kings of Oyo State, all the kings of Yoruba land and the entire Yoruba race both in Nigeria and Diaspora.
“Please, l beg for permanent and eternal forgiveness and pardon from all Yoruba sons and daughters worldwide, fathers and mothers, youths, teenagers and children, Christians, Muslims, traditional worshippers, all leaders in Yoruba land and the Council of Kings in Yoruba land. Please l humbly appeal with all humility don’t avenge on any of us the misdeeds of Daddy Obasanjo.
“I am a full Yoruba woman married to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for over 40 years and l have two children for him both male and female. I am a grandmother. I do not support the humiliating treatment of the kings of Oyo State by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Let history bear my record that l came out to apologise to the Oyo kings and Yoruba land on behalf of the family of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.”
